Somewhere I saw someone write that her favorite Beatles song is always the last one she heard. That may not always be true but it sure seems to be true for me with A Hard Day's Night. I'm glad this isn't a life or death decision!

Somewhere I saw someone write that her favorite Beatles song is always the last one she heard. That may not always be true but it sure seems to be true for me with A Hard Day's Night. I'm glad this isn't a life or death decision!

Me too! I just changed my mind to I Cry Instead!

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Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or imbeciles who really mean it! Mark Twain

I've been mulling this topic (i.e., how to choose a favorite off this album) for a long time, and I can't do it. I love all of the AHDN songs so much, I just can't narrowit down. They're all so fantastic.

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nimrod

I've been mulling this topic (i.e., how to choose a favorite off this album) for a long time, and I can't do it. I love all of the AHDN songs so much, I just can't narrowit down. They're all so fantastic.

Spurred on by reading this thread, I've gone back to listen to AHDN again after not really hearing it through for quite a long time. It's an extremely high standard album. Very hard to pick a favourite. I usually go back and forth amongst the title track, If I fell, I'll be Back, Any Time at All and I Should Have Known Better. But there's not a dud song on the album and I'd happily listen to any of the tracks.

So why does it rarely get called out in the greatest album discussions? If one found this forum, read this post first then went to one of the greatest album posts they would assume it was a slam dunk for AHDN.

I think people often get too deep when they are asked "greatest Beatle album" type questions. This may be it, top to bottom of fun and well written songs. Sure, it didn't charge into concept album space, didn't introduce new sounds, it wasn't a part of the summer of love, but it is a damn fine album that rarely gets mentioned as such. Four guys writing and playing together. Oh yeah, and a movie wrapped around it or it wrapped around a movie...good movie too.

So why does it rarely get called out in the greatest album discussions? If one found this forum, read this post first then went to one of the greatest album posts they would assume it was a slam dunk for AHDN.

That's a good question. I wonder of its because this album is seen very much as belonging to the early Beatlemania period where the perceived audience was young girls. The music still shows the mark of merseybeat. So it has a more dated air to it. People pay lip service to it as the best of the early stuff. Which by definition separates it from the later catalogue.

Later albums such as Revolver, White Album etc are closer to what our modern conception of rock music is. So they're easier for latter day audiences to relate to. And they're perceived as "cooler".

I'm not saying I agree with these views. But even I'll admit that I haven't listened to AHDN as much as some other Beatle stuff despite its clear qualities.

You're right; it is a fun album. When I first started listening to the Beatles on my own this was the album I played most. Of course, my sister stopped after Rubber Soul for some reason so I didn't have all the albums to choose from. And I was only 8 years old then but I haven't changed my mind on this one!